GM Jhaeman's PFS1 Module: "City of Golden Death" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

@Candledark - You cannot actively read PCs minds without their permission at least that would be my reading of the no PvP rules in PFS. I would caution you against using your abilities on the crew as it would not be taken well and it might even get you tossed overboard for your rude and unwanted behaviour. :)

Rogarch places a hand on Ting's shoulder and smiles at the Tengu.

"There will be plenty more battles for you to again show your valour and skill in the coming days. These are exciting times."

The Black Mist has just emerged from a section of the coast marked by beautiful coves and thick vegetation that casts dappled sunlight over the water. One of the deckhands is handing out clay mugs of strong tea when suddenly Ting realises that those thick vines floating in the water are actually serpents!

We will proceed to a Surprise Round. Ting's the only one that made the Perception check, so he'll be able to take a single action.

Initiative (Surprise Round)

Serpents
Ting

Bold should go!

As a free action on your turn, you can attempt to identify these serpents with a Knowledge (nature) check.

Before Ting can sound the alarm, the "vines" in the water suddenly start moving with startling speed! With thick, muscular bodies and mottled blue-green scales, these serpents are able to reach the very edge of the barge unimpeded!

With their Surprise Round action, each snake does a move action to swim closer to the barge.

Initiative (Surprise Round)

Serpents
Ting (one action)

Bold should go!

As a free action on your turn, you can attempt to identify these serpents with a Knowledge (nature) check.

Squares with crates, etc., are treated as difficult terrain.

@GM Jhaeman - Can I reposition my familiar (on the map) next to my character as I have requested in an earlier post that they should be together for this mission?

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Seeing the snake surface, ting pauses for a split-second wondering if he's ever seen them before. Refocusing on the here and now, he steps through the boxes, drawing his exotic bastard sword, chopping at the snake.

5 ft move (difficult terrain) draws weapon with move, Attack + 1 bastard sword, PA, FF
attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 19

Ting's bastard sword nearly cuts his slithering foe in half, proving that bird trumps snake in a battle of nature!

Ting's attack hits and takes Blue to exactly 0 hp. Blue now has the Disabled condition.

@Rogarch: Yep, no worries--I've moved Rawk's token to be adjacent.

Initiative (Round 1)

Serpents (Blue disabled)
Rogarch+Rawk-N-Role
Ting
Candledark
Goran

Bold should go!

As a free action on your turn, you can attempt to identify these serpents with a Knowledge (nature) check.

Squares with crates, etc., are treated as difficult terrain.

Ting's foe tries to slither back into the water, but the other hungry serpents decide Pathfinders might just make an excellent breakfast!

Blue does a move action and provokes an AoO from Ting.

Green and Red slither aboard the rear of the barge; assume they're tussling with crew who are temporarily holding them off with gaff hooks and the like.

Yellow and White each move and attack Goran. Result: Yellow misses, but White hits. Goran, you take 8 damage and White tries to grab you and succeeds, automatically constricting for an additional 7 damage. You now have the grappled condition.

Black moves and attacks Ting. Result: The attack misses.

Initiative (Round 1)

Serpents (Blue disabled; White grappling*)
Rogarch+Rawk-N-Role
Ting
Candledark
Goran (grappled*)

Bold should go!

As a free action on your turn, you can attempt to identify these serpents with a Knowledge (nature) check.

Squares with crates, etc., are treated as difficult terrain.

AoO on blue: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 23

Seeing the snake moving away, ting calls out. "Oy, where's you goin'?" Then chops at the snake again. Shaking his tail feathers as he realizes the snake is sinking into the murky water. Sensing a second snake moving closer, he shifts his leg so the thing doesn't bite him. Informing his fellow pathfinders, "Snakes is good eatin' don't let 'em's escape, wroight!" Resetting his feet he lifts the exotic bastard sword over his straw-conical hat and chops down at the black snake. Letting the blade follow through, he chops down again, but misses with the second blow.

Full Attack + 1 bastard sword, PA, FF
attack black: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 15
attack black: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 23

Rogarch pulls out her lucerne hammer as she picks through the crates advancing on the snakes. She then flies into a rage and her form blurs. She attempts to flatten yellow into a snake sized pancake with her very long hammer.

To Hit, Reach Weapon: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Damage, Blunt, Cold Iron, Rage, Power Attack: 1d12 + 6 + 3 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 3 + 6 = 27

Arcane Blood Rage: Blur - concealment (20% miss chance, immune to sneak attack and precision damage).

Rawk-N-Role advances taking advantage of white's distraction (and most probably yellow's demise) to advance through the crates safely. He punches out at white in an attempt to free Goran.

To hit: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Damage, Power Attack: 1d6 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

@GM Jhaeman - Do the crates provide any cover to those within the squares or do they only impede movement?

Umm...a little bit of help here, please! Goran tries to muscle his way out of the pin.

cmb: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Ting's flashing blade cuts down one serpent and badly wounds another! Rogarch's mighty swing literally flattens another of the slithering intruders! The half-orc's rocky companion manages to land a blow on the serpent wrapped around Goran, but it won't release the man!

Ting's AoO hits and kills Blue. His first strike against Black hits, but it's still up.

Rogarch hits and kills Yellow.

Rawk-N-Role hits White.

Goran fails to escape the grapple.

@Rawk-N-Role: The crates, etc., don't provide cover.

Candledark is up.

Candledark attempts to hide...
Stealth, if possible: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

...and despite contemplating a tempting array of rope-related shenanigans, opts for the most expedient solution. After all, Goran loves the sun, surely he won't mind getting a little warm...?

Like in the last fight, I enter Blurred Body for 1 minute and spend 1 Phrenic point to manifest spontaneous immolation as part of the same action.

spontaneous immolation, DC 18, VS Whitesnake: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 4) = 11

go for it...I have fire resistance 10...

I just said that to be funny, TBH; unless immolation is normally transmissible, then you wouldn't have been hurt anyway. :P

A burnt husk of a snake falls to the deck of the barge, immolated by Candledark's psychic powers!

But another serpent is coiled tight around the surly deckhand Ewen and a third slithers forward at startling speed to bite Ting, but the Opparan dodges away!

The British rock band Whitesnake is dead, and it's Candledark's fault!

Green is constricting Ewen, while Red is attacking Ting. The attack misses.

Initiative (Round 2)

Serpents (Green grappling)
Rogarch+Rawk-N-Role
Ting
Candledark
Goran

Bold should go!

As a free action on your turn, you can attempt to identify these serpents with a Knowledge (nature) check.

Squares with crates, etc., are treated as difficult terrain.

@GM Jhaeman - Rogarch has a reach weapon so she should get an attack of opportunity against red as it advanced to its current square. If you disagree we can roll back the attack.

The warrior takes advantage of her long weapon to reach out and attempt to strike the approaching snake (red).

Attack of Opportunity vs red, to hit: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Damage, Blunt, Cold Iron, Rage, Power Attack: 1d12 + 6 + 3 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 3 + 6 = 17

Assuming that red is not already dead

Rogarch finds moving back difficult with the crates around her and has no wish to put down her weapon down on a moving ship where it can easily go overboard. She decides to hold on to her hammer with her left hand instead of wielding it. She draws a long sword with her right hand and attempts to bring it down on red while holding her lucerne hammer in her left hand.

To Hit vs red, Long sword: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Damage, Slashing, Rage: 1d8 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 = 12

Free action: change grip from two-handed to one-handed, move action to draw a long sword, standard action: attack action.

@Rogarch: Sorry, forgot about your lucerne hammer--yes, an AoO for sure. Will resolve in my next regular update.

Thanks GM Jhaeman. It looks like another dead snake to me. :)

Rawk-N-Role starts moving at his top speed towards Ewen. The earth elemental points in the direction of the troubled crewman hoping that the rest of the party will get his meaning.

(Double move)

Not wanting to take his eyes off of the snake he's fighting, ting smells the cooked flesh of one of the other snakes. Lulling his tongue in a tengu smiles he adds, "See's don't 'at smells bloody well delicious?" Lifting his bastard sword with both talons, He chops the same black snake. Cleaving it in to, he lets the weight of the blade carry towards the red snake behind him.

Full Attack + 1 bastard sword, PA, FF
attack black: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 15
attack red?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 14
attack black: confirm crit: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26 for damage: 1d10 + 1 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 1 + 6 + 6 = 18

The British rock band Whitesnake is dead, and it's Candledark's fault!

But Here I Go Again...!

Another snake goes up like an oversized candlewick!

Another spontaneous immolation VS Red Vine - or if it's already dead (as appears likely) VS Green Acher:

spontaneous immolation, DC 18, VS one or the other: 3d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 1) = 10

just waiting to hear whats still standing before i take my turn...will i have to stand up?

Rogarch crushes the snake that approaches her and then uses a blade to finish it off! At the same moment, Ting cuts another snake in twain! But Candledark's efforts to set the last serpent aflame are hindered by a sudden wave crashing over the side of the barge!

Rogarch's AoO and subsequent attack both hit, killing Red.

Ting's attack hits and kills Black. Ting, Red is already dead so instead of an iterative you can take a move action if you wish.

Green makes the save vs spontaneous immolation (natural 20), taking half damage and not catching on fire.

@Goran: You're good to go, and don't need to stand up (you were just grappled, not prone.

Seeing the red snake behind him was dead, ting nods his beak to Rogarch. Keeping the exotic bastard sword gripped in both talons, he begins to move back the way he came to the rear of the boat.

Taking that move action, thanks :)

Well, that was unpleasant... Goran says as he turns his attention to the last creature. He moves to get closer to the threat.

i assume I can't see it from my vantage point? if I can i'll toss a fire bolt at it...will roll in case i can see it to save time.

touch: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 151d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Goran's fiery projectile sizzles as it impact the snake! With a final squeeze, it drops Ewen's motionless body to the ground and slithers forward to defend itself against the rock-like creature rushing towards it!

@Goran: Yes, you can see it. (Top-down maps can be ambiguous, but I imagine the wooden canopy is open to the air underneath.) The grappling condition offsets just enough of the soft cover (from Rawk-N-Role), so the ranged touch attack hits.

Green does a 5' step and then attacks Rawk-N-Role. The attack misses.

Initiative (Round 3)

Serpents
Rogarch+Rawk-N-Role
Ting
Candledark
Goran

Bold should go!

As a free action on your turn, you can attempt to identify these serpents with a Knowledge (nature) check.

Squares with crates, etc., are treated as difficult terrain.

Rawk-N-Role takes a swing at the final snake.

Slam, To hit: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Damage, Power Attack: 1d6 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14

I think that should finish the snake off. If not I will post Rogarch's turn latter. :)

A splash can be heard some yards away from the boat as Rawk-N-Role's mighty swing sends the snake flying into a watery grave!

Fellow crewmembers rush over to Ewen--it seems the kellid is still breathing despite deep bruising along his ribcage from being constricted.

In the aftermath of the battle, Mabon the Destroyer takes a philosophical approach: "Snakes make good eatin', long as you cut off the head first."

Green is destroyed, and we are off Initiative.

Rogarch falls out of her rage and puts her weapons away. As she regains her breath she calls out to the party cleric.

"Goran. See what you can do to help Ewen recover."

Rawk-N-Role returns to his master's side. He shadow boxes for a minute or so to bleed off an excess of the excitement from the last battle.

The last fight was fun but like most combats it was over far too quickly. :)

On it... the priest says as he darts to assess the wounds.

Were you bit? I'm not sure if they were poisonous... he checks for puncture marks before healing him.

heal: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Clucking at Mabon's comment, ting lops the heads off of the two dead snakes, "When you's is wroights, you's is wroights." Wiping the snake blood on the nearest snake carcass, he sheathes the exotic blade then lifts the two snakes, one in each talon. Lifting them up he asks, "So's who's doin' tha cookin'?"

Captain Walren shouts back: "You want open flame on my wooden barge? Go jump in the lake!" Mabon the Destroyer looks a little abashed, but whispers "We can eat them raw--just pull the skins right off."

Meanwhile, Goran examines Ewen's wounds, and learns that the snakes didn't appear to be venomous.

Just to recap, it's the morning of Day Five. If there's anything you'd like to do in the aftermath of the battle, speak up soon. I'll move us along in about twelve hours real-time.

Rogarch has seen orcs use smoke before to preserve meat for the long winter months in the deep north. She imagines that in warmer climates that the sun alone could be used if necessary.

"You could try curing the snakes in the sun if you like or better yet use some salt if the captain can spare it."

"Assuming of course that someone here has the expertise to do so."

Anyone with ranks in survival could probably do this easily. :)

@GM Jhaeman - You can move us along if you like. We do not have to delay the game over the possible preparation of snake jerky. :)

Rawk-N-Role shakes his head with obvious disbelief at these strange humanoids that are planning on eating the enemies that just attacked them. Clearly these people have no standards at all over what they will put into their bodies.

Blinking it disbelief, ting looks at the captain then gestures over the gunwale towards the lake, asking, "So's if I's jumps in tha floggin' lake, you's'll builds me a fire?"

Knowing the dwarf is too legalistic to break even stupid rules, ting turns to the second in command. "If'n we's get's desperate we's can eats it raw."

Nodding his beak towards Rogarch, "I know's how's ta salt meat, but we's can just 'ang on ta it until we's gets ta tha floggin' Island. En when we's is campin' we's can bloody well cook it, wroight,"

Sitting down on a crate, the begins the process of skinning and gutting the snake. Once it's ready, using his kukri, he cut's the raw snake into segments, that get wrapped in the loose skin and stored in his rucksack with the rest of his food.

Taking 10(15) on survival to skin and prepare the dead snakes

There are some raw fish dishes I had when I was over in Tian Xia...but I wouldn't recommend eating that raw...at least smoke it...no telling what parasites and bugs it might have...

...no telling what parasites and bugs it might have...

"Ah, yes, do check for those; some of them are likewise delicious!"

I wonder...:
Craft (Chandler) to figure out some kind of flame-bearing implement that's reasonably barge-safe (and/or at least can be hidden from the Captain)?: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29

DAY FIVE (late afternoon)

The day passes quickly with preparations for (sneakily-) roasted snake.

As the sun begins to set in the late afternoon, Captain Walren begins looking for a safe place to tie up for the night before beginning the arduous journey into open sea the next day. This time, the Pathfinders keep a close eye on the waters around them and spot yet more snakes darting for the barge!

Please blame Dicebot, not met, for similar consecutive random encounters. Everyone except Rawk-N-Role made the Perception check this time and can act in the surprise round. The snakes are 110' away from the barge when spotted and there are five of them this time in a close grouping. I have to run and can't set up the map, but you should have enough info to sketch out your action (remember Dim Light. More in 36 hours!

Rogarch and Rawk-N-Role see perfectly out to 60 feet in black and white and then progressively worse after that range. The warrior does spot the grouping of snakes and calls out to Goran.

"Why not drop a ball of fire on them? You can wipe out the whole bunch with a bit of luck."

This is a beautiful opportunity to wipe out all or most of these creatures with one spell that will be refreshed tomorrow. Sweet! :)

Shrugging at Rogarch's comment, ting adds, "If you's can, bloody well's goes ahead, wroight."